Butterflies
by Kittyclaw
Summary: Oneshot, songfic, AxJ. With Jeremy by her side, a new to earth Aelita discovers the wonders of one of the planets many beautiful creatures.


**After months of nothing, I have finally returned to post! Shocking, I know. This here is a songfic that was thought up back at the dawn of time, and is only now getting to see the light of full completion. It's my first non-request AelitaxJeremy, and 'gasp' it's cannon! I know, I know. I shock even me. This story it to the song "Hanging By a Moment" by Lifehouse. A quick note--the information in this story concerning Cabbage White Butterflies is true regarding where they live and what they eat. However, I took the information about migration from another butterfly breed native to the U.S. Why? Because sometimes fluff requires creative license (and because the cute little white ones don't migrate and monarchs don't live in France). Also, this takes place before the gang finds out that Aelita is human. And now that I've cleared that up, on to the fic. Enjoy!**

Jeremy sighed as he reached his dorm door, balancing his textbooks across one arm as he searched his pocket for his key. It took him a moment, but eventually he fished the bit of metal from its hiding place and, with a small bit of wobbling to keep his books balanced, he crammed it into the keyhole, letting himself into his little home away from home.

A soon as he was over the threshold Jeremy was tossing his things onto his bed, abandoning them as he hurried to his computer, muttering under his breath as he dropped into the little computer chair. He continued to grumble, Odd's name coming up more often than not as the blonde reached around and turned on the computer's power.

Jeremy drummed his fingers impatiently as he waited for the computer to warm up. It seemed to be taking forever to the bespectacled boy, who continued to fidget about as the monitor flashed its way through a collection of load screens before displaying its logo with a little jingle.

"Finally," Jeremy muttered as he entered his password. He then snatched up his headset, pulling it on and adjusting the speaker as his desktop materialized into view. As soon as it was up Jeremy was typing, various program windows flashing across his screen as his fingers flew across the keyboard.

"Don't be late, don't be late," Jeremy muttered to himself as he worked, fingers grinding to a halt as a window appeared on the screen, blank but for a green background. Jeremy crossed his fingers as he stared at the screen, and then spoke into his microphone.

"Aelita?" he asked hopefully. For a long moment nothing happened. Then a face appeared on the screen, smiling widely at the blonde.

"Hello Jeremy."

Jeremy let out his breath in a noisy gust, slumping down into his seat. "Hey Aelita," he responded, a smile creeping across his features. "I thought for sure I would miss you."

"You almost did," Aelita said; her own grin firmly in place. "I was beginning to think Xana had attacked, and was going to go look for pulsations." Jeremy laughed.

"More like Odd attacked," he said with a sigh.

"Odd?" Aelita repeated, cocking her head slightly to the side. "Why would Odd attack you?"

"He didn't," Jeremy said, searching his mind for a better phrasing. "He's just the reason I was late. He decided to play a prank in class today."

"A prank?" Aelita asked, looking more confused. Jeremy nodded.

"You know when Odd goes 'what's that?' and points, but then there's nothing there?"

"And he says 'made you look'?" Aelita asked. Jeremy nodded.

"Exactly. That's a prank."

"Oh," Aelita said, tilting her head as she processed this new information. "So, he was tricking someone?"

"Kind of," Jeremy nodded. "He put a bunch of butterflies in Sissi's desk before class started. But she didn't open her desk until close to the end of class, and everyone freaked out when the butterflies started flying around the room. Mrs. Hertz wouldn't let anyone leave until all of the butterflies had been caught and let out the window." Although Jeremy was laughing at the memory of Sissi's face when she was swarmed by half a dozen butterflies, Aelita looked only more confused.

"That doesn't sound like a very nice thing to do," she said, frowning. She then asked, "Are butterflies dangerous?"

"Not at all," Jeremy assured her. "Well, some are poisonous, but only if you eat them, and for the most part people generally refrain from eating butterflies."

"Are they very big, butterflies?" Aelita asked curiously. Jeremy shook his head.

"Some can get bigger than your hand, but most of them are small enough to fit in your palm. Some can even fit on your finger tip!"

"Really?" Aelita asked; eyes wide. Jeremy nodded.

"Here, I'll show you," he said, and began typing again. He searched the internet for a suitable picture, and then quickly sent it off to Aelita. He then watched as her expression changed from confusion to surprise, and then awe.

"It's beautiful!" she exclaimed, eyes lighting up as she looked at the picture. She then looked up at Jeremy. "Do you think I'll get to see one when I come to earth?" she asked. Jeremy shrugged.

"I'm sure you will," he said. "They're everywhere." Aelita's eyes lit up even more, as she imagined a world where such lovely creatures lived all over the place.

"I can't wait to come to earth," she said softly. "It sounds so wonderful." Jeremy smiled softly, resting his elbows on his desk and his chin in his hands.

"I can't wait until you're here too, Aelita."

_Desperate for changing  
Starving for truth  
Closer where I Started  
Chasing after you _

Cool evening air blew through the branches of the forest trees, weaving around tree trunks to reach the couple walking through the woods. Aelita giggled at the wind's soft touch, turning her face into the breeze and allowing it to tug at her pink locks. Beside her Jeremy smiled, stopping and stuffing his hands into his pockets as he watched her.

"Earth is so lovely," she said to no one in particular as she spread her arms and spun in the wind. Her skirt twirled playfully around her legs. She whirled to a stop, smiling as she continued forward, holding one hand out so that her finger tips trailed along the trees she passed.

"It is lovely," Jeremy agreed, watching Aelita as she skipped along down the trail. He didn't realize he hadn't followed her until she stopped again, turning to look at him over her shoulder.

"Jeremy?" she asked curiously, "Is something wrong?"

"Oh, uh, no," Jeremy said quickly, blushing as he averted his gaze and hurried to catch back up with Aelita. "Sorry, I was just uh, lost in thought."

"Oh?" Aelita breathed, grabbing Jeremy's hand in hers. Jeremy blushed again, feeling like every inch of his skin that was touching Aelita's was tingling. Ever since Odd has shown Aelita the friendly gesture, she'd taken to holding people's hands whenever she was with them. And while Jeremy couldn't get enough of being with the pink haired girl, he couldn't help but notice that being in contact with her seemed to kill his ability to pay attention to anything else.

"Jeremy?"  
Case and point.

"Yes?" Jeremy asked, looking up at Aelita. She was watching him with a slightly worried, slightly bemused look.

"Were you lost in thought again?" she asked curiously.

"Uh," Jeremy responded, racking his brain to try and figure out if Aelita had been talking to him and he'd not been paying attention. It was no good. All he could think about was the feel of Aelita's fingers entwined with his. "I guess I was," he admitted sheepishly. "I'm sorry, were you asking me something?"

"I was," Aelita said with a giggle. "I was wondering if you humans get lost I thought often. I think I have my answer though," she added with a smile. Jeremy smiled awkwardly.

"I guess we do," he said. "I'll try not to do it anymore."

"You can tell me more about earth instead," Aelita told him. "Like, what are lakes like?"

"Lakes?" Jeremy repeated. Aelita nodded.

"Odd told me that we might take a field trip to one eventually. So I was wondering what one was."

"Well, it's a fairly big body of water," Jeremy said, "the biggest ones you can have that are still enclosed by land."

"How big?" Aelita asked curiously.

"Some are the size of our entire school," Jeremy said. "Including all the grounds." Aelita stared at him, eyes wide.

"I've never seen that much water in once place before," she said softly. "Only the digital sea. But—" Aelita cut off abruptly, eyes going wide as she look out at something in the woods.

"Aelita?" Jeremy asked, worried. "Is something wrong?" Aelita's response was a growing smile, her eyes lighting up as she pointed to the base of one of the towering trees.

"Look!" she whispered, motioning to a cluster of bright yellow flowers. Confused, Jeremy looked closely at the plants.

"What, the flowers?" he asked, unsure of what she was pointing to.

"Shhh," Aelita hushed him. "Not the flowers, _on_ the flowers." Glancing at Aelita, Jeremy again examined the yellow blossoms. Just as he was about to ask Aelita what on earth she was looking at, he spotted a little white spot in on one of the flower's wide petals.

"Oh," he said softly. Aelita's grip on his hand tightened.

"It's a butterfly," she whispered to him. She then released his hand and started creeping slowly towards it, being as silent as possible. Jeremy watched, enraptured, as she moved towards the flowers, each movement silent and graceful, and filled with patience. Jeremy was certain he couldn't have managed the slow, delicate movements Aelita was making, no matter how badly he wanted to get closer to the insect.

When Aelita reached the flowers she slowly crouched down, a look of awe spreading across her features as she got a closer look at the little butterfly. Indecision then flickered across her face for a moment, before Aelita began to carefully reach for the insect. Jeremy had to bite back a warning that she'd scare it away as Aelita placed a finger in front of the little creature.

To the blonde's great surprise, instead of fluttering away with all haste, the butterfly stepped forward, and when Aelita rose back up, it was with the insect balanced carefully on her fingertips.

_Forgetting all I'm lacking  
completely incomplete  
I'll take your invitation  
you take all of me _

"I'm surprised you held that butterfly Aelita," Jeremy said as he and Aelita made their way down the hall towards Aelita's dorm.

"You are?" Aelita asked, sounding surprised. Jeremy nodded.

"Most girls would think they were bugs and not want to touch them," he told her. Aelita look shocked.

"Why?" she asked, "they're so nice!" Jeremy shrugged, while holding back an amused laugh at Aelita's confusion.

"I think it's just a girl thing," he said, shrugging. "They're all afraid of bugs." Aelita's expression shifted quickly to one of sadness.

"A girl thing?" she repeated.

"Yeah," Jeremy said. "Most human girls just don't like bugs. They're always asking boys to get rid of them." Aelita looked away from Jeremy, considering this.

"So, I shouldn't touch them?" she asked slowly. "If I want to seem human?"

"No, uh, yes! Umm, well," Jeremy stuttered, stumbling over his words as he realized the miscommunication that had taken place. "When I say that a lot of girls don't touch bugs, I don't mean that all of them don't. And there are boys who won't touch them either! It's perfectly normal human behavior to do both, whether you're a girl or a boy."

"Oh," Aelita said softly, blinking. "So…I _can _hold butterflies, and still seem human?"

"Yes," Jeremy said, smiling softly. "You can." Aelita glanced down at the ground, then back up, returning Jeremy's smile.

"I'm glad," she said. "It would be sad to have to stay away from them." She came to a stop as she finished her sentence, reaching out a hand to grab the knob to her dorm door, key in her other hand. "Thank you for coming with me tonight," she said shyly.

"You're welcome," Jeremy said, shuffling his feet slightly. "I'm uh, glad you had fun." Aelita's smile grew.

"Thank you. Well, good night Jeremy."

"'Night Aelita," Jeremy said, waving slightly as Aelita vanished into her dorm, flashing him a final smile over her shoulder before pushing the door shut. A warm feeling settled deep in Jeremy's chest as he started walking down the hall again, his thoughts revolving around his absent pink haired friend. He really was glad she had enjoyed her walk tonight. Although, he thought as he climbed the stairs to his dorm one level up, he did feel bad about the little mix up they'd just had. He'd been able to see clearly how much the thought of not being able to enjoy earth to the fullest had hurt her, and very much wanted to make it up to her.

But how, he wondered as he made his way down the hall, palming his room key. Maybe he could do something for her that had to do with butterflies? She obviously liked the delicate little creatures. Perhaps he could take her to a local butterfly garden? But he wasn't sure if there were any nearby to be found. Maybe he could catch her one? He chased that thought away quickly, Aelita would be none to impressed with him shoving one of her favorite creatures into a jar. Besides, Jeremy wasn't exactly the butterfly hunting type.

Heaving a sigh as he reached his room, Jeremy unlocked his door on autopilot, mind still lost in thoughts of what to do for Aelita. Idea after idea came to him, but every time he soon shot them back down. Everything seemed to be either unsuitable as a gift to Aelita, or something Jeremy himself would be incapable of doing.

Letting himself drop into his bed with a huff, Jeremy felt despair begin to set in. What could he do for Aelita? Not much, he realized forlornly. He was an intellectual, someone who could spew information and not much else. So what could he do for Aelita with that?

That was it. Jeremy sat up with a jolt, eyes going wide. There was nothing Aelita loved more than learning about the wonders of earth, so what if Jeremy taught some of them to her? Not everything was covered in school, after all. He could spend the night doing research on the butterflies Aelita liked so much, and then for tomorrow night's walk, he could tell her all about them.

It was perfect. Grinning to himself, Jeremy leapt up and pounced on his computer, quickly pulling up a search engine and, after a little absent wondering, typed in a description of the butterfly Aelita had held in the woods and hit 'search'. A wealth of information immediately came up, all sorts of articles and pictures of the white winged insect. Choosing the first article on the list, Jeremy settled down the read.

_There's nothing else left to find  
there's nothing in the world  
that could change my mind  
there is nothing else_

Sitting on the bench near the snack machines that her friends usually claimed as a hang out, Aelita played with the hem of her skirt, idly trying to pass the time as she waited for Jeremy to arrive. It had been here that he'd asked her to meet him—she'd checked the text message a dozen times since she'd arrived—but she'd been here for almost thirty minutes and he had yet to show up.

Kicking her legs slowly, Aelita wondered what it could be that Jeremy wanted to meet her for. It was strange that he would want her to wait for him at the bench, she thought. She could have just as easily found him in the cafeteria, or joined him at his dorm, both of which were looking more and more like the sensible choices as the sun continued to sink lower in the sky.

Checking her phone yet again, Aelita was starting to worry that maybe she'd misunderstood the message. Fidgeting nervously, she was just about to get up and go look for her friends in the cafeteria when a familiar voice shouted her name. Spinning around, she grinned in relief when she spotted Jeremy heading her way.

"Hey Jeremy," she said as he reached her. "I was getting worried you weren't coming."

"I would never do that," Jeremy assured her quickly. "Especially not tonight. I have a surprise planned for you."

"A surprise?" Aelita asked, eyebrows rising. "What kind of surprise?" Jeremy gave her a mischievous smile.

"If I told you that, then it wouldn't be a surprise." A pout formed on Aelita's lips, causing Jeremy to smile in spite of himself. "Trust me Aelita," he said. "You'll like it more if you're surprised.

"If you say so," Aelita said slowly, not looking all that convinced.

"I do," Jeremy said, grinning. He then turned, motioning for Aelita to follow him. She started to do so, until she noticed the direction in which he was heading.

"The forest?" she asked, looking from the tree line to Jeremy and back. Jeremy nodded, continuing forward, and after a moment's hesitation, Aelita followed him.

Jeremy led the way through the forest, following the trail worn through the grass as he looked out into the woods, though what he was searching for, Aelita didn't know.

"Just a little further," Jeremy assured her over his shoulder, looking back at Aelita when he noticed her looking around unsurely. The pink haired girl frowned.

"A little further to _where,_ Jeremy?" she asked. The blonde flashed her a grin over his shoulder.

"If I told you that, it wouldn't be a surprise!"

"Jeremy!" Aelita shouted, the word tinged with faint exasperation. She wasn't used to Jeremy acting like this, and in all honesty, it was making her a little nervous. "Can you at least tell me why you won't tell me where we're going?"

"There's something I want to show you," he said. "You'll love it, I promise." Aelita didn't respond, although she kept following the blonde down the trail. However, she did speak up when he came to a sudden stop.

"What's wrong?" she asked, looking around.

"Aelita," he said, getting her attention. "What I want to show you is in the woods a ways, off the trail."

"Off the trail?" Aelita repeated. She'd been told by all of her friends, Jeremy included, that leaving the trail in the woods was never a wise move. "I thought it wasn't safe off the trail."

"I'll protect you," Jeremy assured her. "I promise." Aelita still looked unsure.

"I don't know…" she said softly, biting her lip as she looked out into the deep shadows between the trees.

"Aelita," Jeremy said, recapturing her attention. "Do you trust me?" he asked, holding out his hand. Even with her reservations, she didn't take any time to consider an answer.

"Of course I do," she said, taking his hand. Jeremy smiled, then turned and led the way into the woods.

_I'm falling even more in love with you  
letting go of all I've held onto  
I'm standing here until you make me move  
I'm hanging by a moment here with you_

Keeping her hand firmly clasped in Jeremy's, Aelita trudged along behind him, staying close so as to avoid tripping over anything unseen in the darkness spreading slowly between the trees, as the sun continued to dip towards the horizon. She wasn't sure how exactly it was that Jeremy knew where he was going in the tangle of thick trunks and towering trees, but he followed his invisible path confidently, which was enough for Aelita to trust that he knew where it was he was going.

"We're almost there," Jeremy said suddenly, grinning at Aelita. "You ready?" Aelita simply nodded, tightening her grip on Jeremy's hand. He flashed her a small, reassuring grin, then came to a stop, motioning a head. "Ladies first."

"Are you sure?" Aelita asked, scooting a little closer to Jeremy.

"Of course," he told her. "Go on, I'll be right behind you." Aelita chewed her lip nervously.

"Okay," she relented, releasing Jeremy's hand and, after giving him a final look, stepping forward through the trees.

Slipping between two towering pines, Aelita emerged into a clearing nestled within the forest, set back from the walking path. It was dominated mostly by the stream cutting through its center, littered with rocks and logs, and large clusters of yellow and white flowers. The trees were also littered with the white blossoms.

"It's lovely," Aelita whispered softly, looking about the picturesque clearing with wide, awe-filled eyes. Taking a few steps forward, she reached out her hand, her fingertips brushing along one of the larger boulder's mossy surface. "How did you ever find this place?" she asked, turning to look back at Jeremy. The blonde was still at the clearings edge, hands in his pockets as he watched Aelita explore.

"I kind of assumed there had to be somewhere like this in the woods," Jeremy said, shrugging lightly. "So I skipped lunch and looked for it."

"Why?" Aelita asked.

"You remember the butterfly you saw yesterday?" Jeremy asked back. Aelita blinked, confused by the sudden question.

"Yes," she answered. "But what does that have to do with…this?"

"Well, after our walk yesterday, I decided to try and find out what kind of butterfly it was," Jeremy told her. "They're called Cabbage White Butterflies, by the way. And they like to feed on these yellow dandelions. They usually stop near large patches of them when they're migrating."

"Migrating?" Aelita asked. Jeremy nodded.

"Once a year they all migrate across Europe in huge groups, stopping as they go to rest, usually in places with water and food that they like. Like here. And they're in the middle of their migration right now, it's why we saw that one yesterday."

"So, they would stop here?" Aelita asked, eyes shining with the new information as she motioned around the clearing. Jeremy nodded, glancing around the grassy space. Aelita tilted her head curiously at his action, then did the same, also looking around the clearing again.

He hands flew to her mouth to stifle her gasp as she realized the reason Jeremy had brought her here. The little white flowers everywhere _weren't_ flowers.

They were hundreds and hundreds of _butterflies_.

"Oh, Jeremy," Aelita breathed, green eyes bright with amazement. She seemed at a loss of words for exactly what to say, and after a few moments of gaping in awe, she simply gave up saying anything at all. She instead slowly lowered herself to the ground, kneeling next to a large bunch of dandelions, which was dotted with half a dozen of the little white butterflies. Like the insect from yesterday, none of the creatures moved away as Aelita came closer.

Aelita watched them with rapture as they moved slowly across the flowers, wings opening and closing slowly as they picked at the flowers' centers. Gently, she held her finger out to one of the butterflies. It seemed to watch her for a moment, as if confused, and then stepped up into her hand. Aelita giggled as its tiny tongue shot out, looking to see if Aelita came baring anything yummy.

Looking up, Aelita searched out Jeremy, who she found still standing at the clearing's edge. Smiling, she waved for him to join her. He seemed unsure, though finally relented at Aelita's playful pouting.

"Look!" she whispered as soon as he came close, motioning for him to kneel beside her. As soon as he had, she held the butterfly up to him. Jeremy stared at the butterfly and, it seemed, the butterfly stared right back. The insect then suddenly fluttered into the air, hovering for a moment before floating over and alighting on Jeremy's glasses. Jeremy let out an 'oh' of surprise, while Aelita burst into giggles.

"He likes you!" she told him, as another of the butterflies also floated up, drifting a little before setting down in Aelita's hair. Nearby a few more butterflies started to flutter about, some of them shifting into the trees. "What are they doing?" Aelita asked curiously, as more of the butterflies began to shift around.

"I think they're getting ready to leave," Jeremy said. "They usually travel at night." Aelita gave Jeremy a sad look.

"They're leaving?" she asked. Jeremy nodded.

"But they'll be back," he said. "They probably stop here every year."

"Oh," Aelita responded softly. "So, can we come and see them again next year?" she asked hopefully. Jeremy gave her a soft smile.

"I think that can be arranged." Aelita grinned at the blonde and then turned her attention back to the restless butterflies. As she did, the butterfly in her hair fluttered up into the sky. It drifted for a moment, as if undecided, and then slowly began to ascend, rising up towards the sky above, which had turned the deep blue of dusk and was just beginning to display the first stars of the night.

"Look!" Aelita said, pointing at her butterfly. As she did, the butterfly on Jeremy's glasses took to the air, beginning to follow after Aelita's.

Slowly, the rest of the butterflies began to lift into the air, more and more of the little white creatures fluttered into motion. It was like a cloud of white flower petals swirling about the clearing, growing until all of the butterflies had taken to the air, filling the sky as they rose up over the trees.

Aelita watched their flight with wide, bright eyes, her unbridled wonder and joy glowing on her features. She knew that earth was a wonderful place, but never could she have imagined it to have anything as magnificent as this.

_I'm living for the only thing I know  
I'm running and not quite sure where to go  
I don't know what I'm diving into  
just hanging by a moment here with you_

It wasn't until the last of the butterflies had cleared away that Aelita finally turned back to look at Jeremy.

"Well?" he asked. "Did you like it?"

Aelita's response was to fling herself at Jeremy, wrapping her arms around his neck as they tumbled to the ground. "Thank you, thank you, _thank you_," she said into his chest, hugging him tightly. Jeremy smiled, reaching up and wrapping his arms around Aelita's waist.

"I'll take that as a yes, then." With a laugh, Aelita leaned up, a smile splitting her face.

"It's a yes."

_Hanging by a moment here with you_


End file.
